


Calculating Social Science

by areyoufr



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Not too much fluff, debate, humanities and social science student!seokmin, science and mathematics student!jeonghan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 14:52:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17920931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyoufr/pseuds/areyoufr
Summary: Lee Seokmin, a humanities student, accidentally cries in the debate with science and maths student, Yoon Jeonghan.





	Calculating Social Science

**Author's Note:**

> This will tackle small parts of the Catholic religion, and I apologize in advance if it offends you. I hope I didn't. Also, I apologize in advance if there's any misinformation. You can correct me if I'm wrong.
> 
> I swear this is the last story with a debate in it!! 
> 
> For those who don't know, HUMSS and STEM are 2 of the 3 academic "strands" that students choose/enroll in voluntarily. Each route of these, like these "strands", refer to a specific field of career. These are applicable in Senior High School (before college, grades 11 and 12)

Lee Seokmin rarely gets upset.   
  
  
Other than the fact he smiled brightly all the damn time, he was a HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) student, and a HUMSS student  _knows_  the human society and social behavior than humans do. He should  _understand_ so. And he does, he really does. He understands that not everyone would see his point of view, that not everyone can be polite in criticizing it, too. It was frustrating to be like that, if he was honest. And what's more frustrating, is that he is close to fucking tears inside this debate room.   
  
  
Yoon Jeonghan was the opposite, though. He remained calm, and his arguments were constantly strong all throughout. Meanwhile, Seokmin's arguments came from "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it exists, what about gases?" ( _"They can be felt, Seokmin"_ ) to "We don't know everything in this world."  
  
  
"You don't know everything, too."  
  
  
He was too smart for Seokmin to compete with.   
  
  
"So, you're telling me, that the world began from creationism?" Yoon Jeonghan challenged further. "If so, where did God come from? And how do you think did he create the world? Cutting stars from blankets? The scientists discovered that stars are made up of elements - like hydrogen, and helium, and there are evidences of its existence. Where did you get your evidence? A single page from the Bible?"  
  
  
"Yes." Seokmin was running out of arguments.   
  
  
"How is the Bible sufficient enough for you to think everything began from creationism?"  
  
  
Unfortunately for Seokmin, he had been partnered up with this guy for a mini-debate. Yoon Jeonghan wasn't just "this guy," though, he was a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) student. He, who studies science, who gives importance to logic, who - in Seokmin's opinion - was close-minded enough to disrespect a field of thought.   
  
  
Or maybe Seokmin was just getting sensitive because they're running out of time and he's losing. Right, he must be getting sensitive. After every single debate match, the teacher gets to pick which side wins. This was a joint class between students from different strands, and Seokmin  _did not_  want to disappoint the HUMSS strand. They shouldn't have picked this "how the world began" thing as a topic, because a student like Seokmin was most likely to lose. People like to rely on strong cold facts, though they can't even deny that some of their personal beliefs are irrational and illogical.  _Hypocrites._    
  
  
"Because, um... uh..."  
  
  
Jeonghan, and the rest of the students in the room, was surprised at what happened next.  
  
  
Seokmin cried.   
  
  
"Um, I.. well..."  _Stop crying!!!!_  "They were guided by the Holy Spirit..."  
  
  
"Okay," the teacher said immediately, "I think that's enough for now. Also, your time is up. Thank you, Mr. Yoon and Mr. Lee. You may now take your seats."  
  
  
Seokmin quickly headed back to his own seat next to Jihoon, a fellow HUMSS student, who handed him a handkerchief.   
  
  
"And for this debate, STEM wins! Seungcheol, please write down another point for them."  
  
  
He gratefully accepts Jihoon's handkerchief, and wipes his tears with it. He wants to stop crying so badly. But his throat--there's something in his throat that forces him to cry. It's annoying.  
  
  
It's upsetting.   
  
  
Thank goodness for Jihoon, who quietly asked permission to excuse him out of the debate room. Then they both left.   
  


  
  
-  
  
  
  
  
This was  _death_.   
  
  
"What should I do, Jisoo?" Jeonghan asked worriedly. "This gives me a bad impress--"  
  
  
"That was cool, Jeonghan," one classmate praised. He flashed a sweet smile. "Thanks. You did, too." Then he turned back to Jisoo, who was watching at the door where Seokmin and Jihoon had just exited.   
  
  
"Hey!" He muttered fiercely. "Should I apologize?"  
  
  
"Why are you asking me? You usually give me advice."  
  
  
"Nobody can apply their own advice when it comes to themselves."  
  
  
Jisoo stuck out his tongue at him. "You haven't even talked properly for once and now he's crying because of you," he teased quietly. "How's your chances with him now, Jeonghannie?"  
  
  
"You're lucky we're in a public place."  
  
  
"I'll buy you ice cream, too," Jisoo teased further. He knew how much Jeonghan hated ice cream. It was too cold for his teeth, Jeonghan reasoned. "Which flavor do you want? I'll stock them up in your freezer, too."  
  
  
Jisoo went home without his phone that day.   
  
  
  
-  
  
  
  


Days had passed by, but Seokmin still couldn't get the incident out of his mind. No one brought up the topic again, though, but the  _thing_  was still there, crawling into his mind with its arms. It was forcing his eyes open to the stupidity he caused. He was wrong, he knew that. However, he still tries to keep a straight face whenever he passes by the STEM - no, Jeonghan's classroom - in the mornings and dismissals, and he takes a different route every time. And he tries to avoid meeting him as much as possible.   
  
  
Because it's so awkward.  
  
  
What he did was stupid. He should have been more professional.   
  
  
He shouldn't have cried. But what else can he do? Instead of applying the Rational Choice Theory in his own decisions, he was letting his emotions dominate him. Like -- right now.   
  
  
His notebook was still blank, and he had no ideas for their pair report tomorrow. What's all in his mind was the fact that he hadn't apologized for his mistake yet.   
  
  
He heard Jihoon sigh from next to him.   
  
  
"Are you sure you're okay now?"  
  
  
Seokmin scoffed lamely.   
  
  
"Jihoon-hyung that was days ago." He confidently waved his pen in the air, but his pen dropped on the floor. He scrambled to pick it up --  _clunk!_  -- hitting his head on his chair in the process. Jihoon laughs evilly. "Anyway, we were supposed to be talking about the Korean War."  
  
  
Jihoon looked offended. Then he lightly smacked the taller. "You're the distracted one! And you're the one assigned to the Korean war, not me."   
  
  
"I'm letting you kids head to the library to finish the report. Don't forget to put your sources, and reminders! No internet allowed. I'll be checking. Make sure to have something to present to me tomorrow," their teacher said monotonously as she fixed her things. The HUMSS students, who answered 'yes' in variations, but in chorus, quickly grabbed their laptops and notebooks, and headed outside of their classroom quite noisily, thanking their teacher as they parted ways.   
  
  
This time, though, the incident was out of his mind, and he passed by the STEM classroom with a bright smile.   
  
  
Once again, like before.   
  
  
  
  
_

  
  
"It's a weird sight to see you awake in PreCal. You sleep like the fucking dead."  
  
  
Jeonghan glanced at his seatmate's paper -- Jisoo, who wasn't even done with the practice problems. "Why aren't you solving?"  
  
  
"Because you're being weird," Jisoo whispered. "You usually sleep and wake up when it's 3 minutes before passing papers." Under his breath, he muttered, "and get the highest scores too."  
  
  
"That's because your only interest is plants, Jisoo."  
  
  
Done with his work, Jeonghan passed the paper on the teacher's desk in front of the classroom, earning surprised reactions from his classmates. When he looked up at the door, and its little glass window, he sees a certain student's bright smile pass by.   
  
  
That's Seokmin, right?   
  
  
Oh.  
  


Wow.   
  
  
Jeonghan checked the time on his wristwatch. The Pre-Calculus subject was almost ending, and it would be their dismissal already. He passes by Jisoo on his way back to his seat, and he smirks at him.   
  
  
Jisoo already knew what's on his mind.   
  
  
"Sir," he said politely, handing out his paper, as Jeonghan sat back on his seat. "Since Jeonghan and I finished early, can we be dismissed?"  
  
  
The teacher sighed. "I see no reason why not."

  
  
_  
  
  
  
  
"I don't see any books about that stupid--"  
  
  
"SHHHH!"  
  
  
"Sorry," Seokmin apologized, placing a book back in its shelf. "But seriously, the library is useless."  
  
  
"I'm doing all the work here," Jihoon muttered from his seat, as he was writing down notes from a book. "The debate just happened and Lee Seokmin is gone." He looked up from his notes. "Nobody cares, Seokmin. Forget about it. You're distracting yourself."  
  
  
"Yeah, you're right."  
  
  
He took a book from the shelf that talked about history. Unfortunately, it was about Arizona. "I think I should apologize to Jeonghan-hyung."  
  
  
"Maybe you should so we could get started."  
  
  
"I feel really bad, I mean, he did nothing wrong."  
  
  
He heard a 'shhh!' from the other side. It must be another noisy student.   
  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
"And it was embarrassing. I knew I shouldn't have competed with him from the start. He's smart and all. Did you hear he sleeps in classes and gets high scores?"  
  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
"And the topic gave a clear winner."  
  
  
"It was to test how far are you going to defend, Seokmin."  
  
  
"Yes, but I didn't, hyung."  
  
  
Seokmin was looking from shelf to shelf for the past few minutes, and when he reached the end shelf, the nearest one to the table Jihoon was occupying, he was unsuccessful. Maybe he's looking at the wrong places? "All I can say for my report is that... North Korea was backed up by the Soviet Union." He couldn't remember. "Am I right?"  
  
  
"And with China as well, I think."  
  
  
"What's the 39th parallel again?"  
  
  
"Look for books, Seokmin," Jihoon whispered, annoyed. "You'll get lucky."  
  
  
  
_  
  


  
  
"Your crush has a loud voice," was the first thing Jisoo said when they stepped inside the library. Jeonghan grabbed a random book from the nearest shelf to hide his identity, and the younger of the two did the same. Smoothly, without needing to converse, they both headed to the far end of the library, where Seokmin and Jihoon were located.   
  
  
"My goodness Han since when were you actually moving--"  
  
  
_"...logize to Jeonghan-hyung."_  
  
  
Jeonghan looked at Jisoo.   
  
  
There is no need to say anything. They're both going to listen.   
  
  
_"Maybe you should so we could get started."  
  
  
_So, he's distracted?  
  


_"I feel really bad, I mean, he did nothing wrong."  
  
  
_"I hope you also feel that way when you bully me--"  
  
  
"Shhh!" Jeonghan said.   
  
  
_"Yes."  
  
  
"And it was embarrassing. I knew I shouldn't have competed with him from the start. He's smart and all. Did you hear he sleeps in classes and gets high scores?"  
  
  
_He knows that? Damn.   
  


_"Yes."  
  
  
_Jeonghan laughed quietly, because it sounded like Jihoon was answering his mental question. Jisoo told him he laughed evilly, so Jeonghan mentally reminded himself to steal Jisoo's cactus at home.  _  
  
  
"And the topic gave a clear winner."  
  
  
"It was to test how far are you going to defend, Seokmin."  
  
  
"Yes, but I didn't, hyung."  
  
  
_And it's okay.  
  
  
_"All I can say for my report is that... North Korea was backed up by the Soviet Union."_ Jeonghan suddenly remembered his history lessons.  _"Am I right?"  
  
  
_They're talking about the Korean war. Jeonghan's eyes smoothly moved down to the book he was holding.  _The History of Korea_. He had the good side of probability today.  
  
  
_"And with China as well, I think."  
  
  
"What's the 39th parallel again?"_  
  
  
Jeonghan predicted what was going to happen next. He fished for his earphones and plugged them in his ears, and Jisoo walked away, knowing that his friend has a plan. And he flipped the book open, looking at pages to pages, until he reached the one about the Korean war.   
  
  
_"Alright, I'll look again."  
  
  
  
  
_  
  
  
  
  
_Seokmin sighed, leaving Jihoon alone at that corner of the library. He passed by--and-- _cringed._ No, he flinched. He was surprised Yoon Jeonghan was standing on the other side of the bookshelf.  
  
  
Did he hear him?!  
  
  
Jeonghan tilted his head, and one of his earphones dropped.   
  
  
Then he looked up, and he winced in surprise.  
  
  
"Sorry!" Seokmin whispered. "Did I scare you?"  
  
  
"No, you didn't."   
  
  
"Thank goodness."   
  
  
What now?   
  
  
Jeonghan looked as intimidating as always. He remembered the debate: the calm, calculating Jeonghan, with soft features, but with mysterious brain. Seokmin was just an open book who was as intimidating as a kitten.   
  
  
"Um, what are you reading... h-hyung?"  
  
  
"Oh, the History of Korea."  
  
  
Seokmin's eyes widened, and he unconsciously smiled. "Woah, really?"  
  
  
"Yeah," Jeonghan said gently. "It's actually very interesting. I remember studying this before, and it feels nostalgic now."  
  
  
"Are smart people really like that?" His eyes were crescents now. "It's kind of weird, being sentimental over stuff like these, and especially because you're a STEM student."  
  
  
"Well, a HUMSS student like you probably know that we should be open to everything, right?"   
  
  
"Ah, yeah..." Seokmin's smile faded. "About that, I'm sorry about the, uh, debate. I shouldn't have cried. I felt awful after because you must feel bad. But, um, you did nothing, hyung."  
  
  
"You don't need to apol--"  
  
  
"I do!" Seokmin insisted, then he became excited. "I really want to make it up to you, though."   
  
  
"You don't h--"  
  
  
"Please, hyung?" He shook Jeonghan's left arm. Suddenly noticing the earphone, he took it, and placed it on Jeonghan's shoulder. "I feel really bad."  
  
  
"How do you want to make up for it?"  
  
  
Seokmin thought for a while.  
  
  
"We have the same lunch breaks, right?"  
  
  
Jeonghan nodded.   
  
  
"I'll buy you ice cream as a dessert! How does that sound, hyung?"  
  
  
Jeonghan forced a smile. He was less intimidating now, because he looks quite nice. "Whatever you like, Seokmin."  
  
  
"Yay!" He was literally jumping on his heels, and then suddenly, he remembered about the report. "Can I borrow this book, though? I have a report tomorrow."   
  
  
"It's all yours, Seokmin."  
  
  
Another bright idea popped in Seokmin's head. "Oh, here's a twist. If I get a high grade on my report, I'll treat you to ice cream for the rest of the week. How does that sound???"  
  
  
"Sounds like you're going to be the death of me."  
  
  
  
_  
  
  
  
  
The next day, Seokmin was waiting for Jeonghan outside the STEM classroom, while Jihoon had headed to the cafeteria already. He quickly peeked at the window and sees a Physics lecture. He decided not to look again.   
  
  
So when Jeonghan stepped out, he was met with a bright smile.   
  
  
"I got a high grade!"  
  
  
Jeonghan had calculated his risks wrongly. This was  _death_.  
  
  
But at least he's with Lee Seokmin. 


End file.
